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The mediating role of early maladaptive schemas in the relationship between early childhood trauma and alexithymia

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Abstract

Early childhood traumas adversely impact both the developmental course and adulthood experiences of individuals. Previous literature showed that alexithymia- difficulties in recognizing, identifying, and expressing feelings increases as experienced childhood adversity increases. In this regard, the development and manifestation of early maladaptive schemas resemble the etiology and indications of alexithymia. Thereby, the current study aims to investigate the mediator role of different early maladaptive schema domains in the relationship between early childhood trauma and alexithymia levels. 435 participants, between the age of 18 and 74, were asked to fill out self-report questionnaires measuring traumatic childhood experiences (Childhood Trauma Questionnaire), alexithymia (Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20), and early maladaptive schemas (Young Schema Questionnaire- Short Form 3). Results indicated that participants with more childhood trauma experiences had a significantly higher score of alexithymia than participants with less childhood trauma experiences. Moreover, all early maladaptive schema domains- Disconnection and Rejection, Impaired Autonomy and Performance, Overvigilance and Inhibition, Impaired Limits and Other-Directedness, were found to be mediating the relationship between early childhood trauma and alexithymia levels. The current findings can contribute to the understanding of alexithymia and suggest a direction for schema therapy-based interventions that might reduce alexithymia levels effectively.

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Data Availability

The datasets analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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  1. Aynur Feyzioğlu and Aliye Canan Taşlıoğlu Sayıner shared first authorship

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hamidiye Health Sciences Institute, University of Health Sciences, Selimiye, Tıbbiye Cd No: 38, Üsküdar, 34668, Istanbul, Turkey

    Aynur Feyzioğlu, Aliye Canan Taşlıoğlu Sayıner, Dila Özçelik & Feray Tarımtay Altun

  2. Institute of Psychology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary

    Ezgi Nur Budak

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  1. Aynur Feyzioğlu
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Correspondence to Aliye Canan Taşlıoğlu Sayıner.

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All procedures performed in the study involving human participants were in accordance with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments. Approval was granted by the Ethics Committee of MEF University (ID: E-47749665-050.01.04-1747, Date: 07.05.2021).

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Feyzioğlu, A., Taşlıoğlu Sayıner, A.C., Özçelik, D. et al. The mediating role of early maladaptive schemas in the relationship between early childhood trauma and alexithymia. Curr Psychol 42, 17851–17861 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-02988-1

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